Sanchi's Slick Size Trebles

The spill from a sunken Iranian tanker off China’s east coast has more than trebled in size, just over a week after the ship sank in a ball of flames. Authorities by Sunday had surveyed three oil slicks with a total surface area of 332 square kilometers, compared with the 101 sq km seen last Wednesday, China’s State Oceanic Administration said in a statement, AFP reported. The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tons of light crude oil from Iran when it collided with Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter the CF Crystal in early January, setting off a desperate race by authorities to search for survivors and stave off a massive environmental catastrophe. The bodies of only three of the ship’s 30 Iranian and two Bangladeshi crew members have been found. Three coastguard vessels were on the scene on Sunday night assessing the spill, the Oceanic Administration said.